January 1807

By around 1807, James Forten of Philadelphia had built a sailmaking business employing approximately 40 workers, including white employees who worked under his direction. A veteran of the Revolutionary War, Forten became one of the wealthiest Black Americans of his era and used his fortune to finance abolitionist causes. His wealth and influence made him a leading figure in the Philadelphia free Black community.

By around 1807, James Forten of Philadelphia had built a sailmaking business employing approximately 40 workers, including white employees who worked under his direction. A veteran of the Revolutionary War, Forten became one of the wealthiest Black Americans of his era and used his fortune to finance abolitionist causes.

John Gloucester, a formerly enslaved man who had been freed specifically so he could pursue ministry, founded the First African Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia in 1807. It was the first Black Presbyterian congregation in the United States, reflecting the growing determination of free Black communities to establish their own independent houses of worship across multiple Protestant denominations.